It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.

But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.

There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

Alan Cohen

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

Groucho Marx

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Life of A Housewife in Buenos Aires

Just in from a busy day, walking ... walking.. I am glad to say that Pup is almost completely back to his old self. He stayed home and rested some more, it is quite warm out and I know how wimpy I get after a long walk in the heat, there was no reason to do that to him too.

Besides, he is not a fan of the Tea Connection, where we had lunch.

Later we will go to the park and my husband and I will sit on benches like Argentine Old Timers and the Pup will sniff and explore and enjoy the fresh air.

Seeing him with energy and bright eyed again is like a gift.. one that I treasure.

I had a little shopping to do today. I need laundry soap.

When we first arrived here, I did not recognize any products that were familiar in any way. Television commercials didn't really help, not understanding what they were saying, so I ended up shopping by nose.. I would shop by smell, whichever soap smells best .

Now I have my own favorites, one being a detergent we bought in Paris ( although this does not smell as good as that one) and my own Argentine brand of fabric softener.

Everything in Lavender scent.. because some of the floral scents reminds me of rotting fruit. Imagine having that little odor wafting off of your clothes !

I learned early on that if you are in doubt in the supermarket, your best bet for someone to give you some help is not one of the employees, not one of the stock boys, but a lady shopper.

If she is elderly, even better !

I remember standing in the store , looking clueless ( which might be a permanent look for all I know now) and noticed that she was watching me ( perhaps worried ? wary? curious?)

A lovely lady, perfectly groomed, hair done, wearing a pretty outfit.

I held up two different bags of laundry soap and said " Señora ?" ( picture the girl on The Price is Right)..

She then said to me, in perfect English, that she likes another brand.

Thus ensued a (long) discussion (mostly on her side- I nodded and said "Si" a lot) about the Pros and Cons of the laundry soaps available.

Needless to say, I bought the one she uses ..

Now have fine smelling laundry, that is very soft.. because of those "little blue dots that are in the soap"..

Pup is quite happy with the way things smell around here.

Last night I noticed he slept with his nose buried in his blanket. I think he is loving the scent !

Do I sound like a television commercial ?

Can you picture me standing with the bags in one hand and pointing at the dog with the other .. with his blanket draped across his back , smiling ? You would buy that soap, wouldn't you?

4 comments:

Hello:Oh dear, the problems of shopping in a foreign land!! But you are lucky, for our housekeeper knows best on all things domestic, provides us with no choice and, because she is responsible for all of the household shopping, believes that we are clueless. The result is that we have orange, yes ORANGE coloured, fabric conditioner.

Your walk sounds lovely and lunch out even better. We are glad to learn that all is well with Pup.

alyson, I fell in love with Ariel when we rented an apartment on the corner of rue Cler & rue de Grennelle.. the market downstairs only carried Ariel. I brought it home with me. With softener. Not to mention various scented soaps and lotions. I miss them all here ..Thank you, Pup is quickly returning to his old self. Huge sigh of relief !!

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